Learn Hardcore Swahili: Subira kidogo; fundi atakapofika, ataweka taa za nje kwa ustadi mkubwa. - Wait a little; when the technician arrives, he will install the outdoor lamps with great skill.

Subira is a noun meaning patience, so subira kidogo literally = a little patience. It’s a polite way to say bear with me a bit. If you used subiri (the imperative of kusubiri “to wait”), you’d get subiri kidogo = wait a little. Both forms appear in speech, but subira kidogo feels softer.

How is the future tense formed in ataweka and atakapofika?

Both verbs use: • a- = subject prefix for class 1 (“he/she”)
• -ta- = future tense marker
• verb root (weka “place” or fika “arrive”)
So a-ta-weka = he will place, and in the subordinate clause you add -ka- (see next Q).

Why does atakapofika have -ka- in the middle, and what does it do?

The -ka- after the tense marker is the relative/subordinate marker. It turns the verb into an adverbial clause meaning “when…”.
Breakdown:
a- (he) + ta- (future) + -ka- (when/relative) + fika (arrive)
= when he will arrive.

What’s the difference between atakapofika, anapofika, and alipofika?

• atakapofika = when he will arrive (future, one-off event)
• anapofika = when he arrives (habitual or general present)
• alipofika = when he arrived (past, one-off event)
Each uses the same -p(o)- relative idea but with different tense markers: ta (future), na (present/habitual), li (past).

Why do we say taa za nje and not taa nje? What is za?

taa (“light/lamps”) belongs to noun class 9/10, which uses the genitive marker -a/-ya/-za to link nouns. taa za nje = “lights of outside” = outdoor lights. Without za, the two nouns won’t be properly connected.

Why is nje placed after za, and not before taa like in English?

Swahili uses the pattern Noun + genitive marker + descriptor, not descriptor + noun. So you always say “lights of outside” (taa za nje), never “outside lights” in that order.

Why do we use kwa ustadi mkubwa to say with great skill? Could we omit kwa, and why is there an m- in mkubwa?

• kwa + noun = adverbial of manner (“with…”). Here kwa ustadi = with skill. You need kwa to show how something is done.
• mkubwa is kubwa (“big/great”) with the adjective concord prefix m-, agreeing with the noun ustaadi. Adjectives in Swahili follow the noun and must carry the correct class prefix.

Is the semicolon between the two clauses necessary, or could we use a comma?

Punctuation in Swahili borrows from European conventions but is flexible. You can replace the semicolon ; with a comma , without changing the meaning:
Subira kidogo, fundi atakapofika ataweka taa za nje kwa ustadi mkubwa.